India Develops Indigenous 'Placenta-on-Chip' to Advance Pregnancy Research

Researchers from the ICMR-National Institute for Research on Women's Health (ICMR-NIRWoH) and IIT Bombay have developed India's first indigenous "placenta-on-chip" platform, a laboratory device that replicates the key functions of the human placenta to advance research on pregnancy, maternal health and fetal development.

Published in the journal Biofabrication , the micro-engineered platform recreates the maternal-fetal interface , enabling scientists to study how the placenta transports nutrients, removes waste, produces pregnancy hormones and regulates the exchange of substances between the mother and fetus.

The placenta , a temporary organ that develops during pregnancy, is vital for fetal growth but remains difficult to study directly. The new platform addresses this challenge by providing a human-relevant model that mimics essential placental functions under controlled laboratory conditions.

Researchers demonstrated that the device produces pregnancy hormones, transfers glucose, removes waste products such as urea and responds to hyperglycaemic conditions resembling gestational diabetes . The team said the platform could help scientists investigate pregnancy complications, evaluate how medicines cross the placental barrier and support the development of safer therapies during pregnancy.

Unlike many existing placenta-on-chip systems that rely on sophisticated microfluidic equipment, the indigenously developed platform is compatible with conventional laboratory infrastructure, making it simpler, scalable and more accessible for research laboratories.

Professor Deepak Modi of ICMR-NIRWoH said recreating the placenta's functions on a chip would help researchers better understand pregnancy and, where scientifically appropriate, reduce dependence on animal experimentation. The researchers said the technology could also provide insights into conditions such as gestational diabetes, fetal growth restriction and pre-eclampsia , strengthening India's capabilities in reproductive and biomedical research.